Splatoon Review
The shooter with the most style.
Splatoon is a shooter with Style, from its characters to gameplay Nintendo has delivered on all fronts for their newest IP. First and foremost Splatoon is a multiplayer focused third person shooter in which two teams of four squids battle it out for 3 minutes to gain map control. It's simple the team of squids with the most ink covering the map wins and its this simplicity that makes the game a lot of fun. There were countless times in my play time where the games came down to the smallest of margins such as a well timed splatter (kill) at the end of a match or a last ditch push into enemy territory. Its a colorful frenzy and the use of eye popping colors to represent both teams makes it utter eye candy. If you would prefer not to play with other people the game also has a single player aspect to it but it is nothing but a well put together training mode and its a pretty short affair with some boss fights and some easy get from A to B levels.
The game doesn't strictly have menus to get around, it employs the use of a hub in which you can walk around using your created squid, boy or girl and see the sights and sounds of the games unique world. You can go to various shops to buy better equipment such as weapons, hats, shirts, and shoes that all fit nicely within the world and each have unique stats and abilities. Or you can just walk around aimlessly as miiverse post get constantly thrown at you. Its actually a nice touch and really makes you feel connected to the community even though the hub is a single player only affair. But its not just shops there are a few characters to go and talk to and my personal favorite is a sea urchin named spyke. He is the drug dealer... errr i mean black market dealer who can find you any piece of clothing seen in the hub. When i say drug dealer i mean that he looks and act like a hippie ready to sell you the marijuana. its very clever. I got a kick out of it. I played the game during an event that was added later on to the game called a splatfest. Splatfests are events that usually happen over a weekend where everyone can choose between two different things. The splatfest i played was Future vs. Past. and during the splatfest event the hub and all the maps change to night and it looks and feels like one giant party. The style is just magic.
Overall the game does a wonderful job at presenting itself. The squid aesthetic is brilliant, childish, and pure Nintendo but does a great job at being unique when almost every single shooter nowadays relies upon gritty and depressing locals and themes. From the color palate that is implemented, to the great characters that exude style , and topped off by the amazing unique gameplay. Splatoon is surely a game you should check out and experience for yourself as it is one of the best games on the Wii U.
